Archbasilica of St. John Lateran The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran (Italian: Arcibasilica Papale di San Giovanni in Laterano), com- monly known as St. John Lateran’s Archbasilica, St. John Lateran’s Basilica, and just The Lateran Basil- ica, is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. It is the oldest and ranks first among the four Papal Basil- icas or major basilicas of Rome (having the cathedra of the Bishop of Rome), and the oldest church in the Next to the formal entrance is the Archbasilica’s claim to be the West.[2][3] It claims the title of ecumenical mother church head Mother Church in the entire world. Note the Laurel wreath and the Papal Tiara. among Roman Catholics. The current archpriest is Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.[4] The President of the French Republic, cur- rently François Hollande, is ex officio the “first and only 2 Lateran Palace honorary canon" of the basilica, a title held by the heads of the French state since King Henry IV of France. Main article: Lateran Palace The large inscription on the façade reads, Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang, a highly abbreviated Latin inscription meaning The archbasilica stands over the remains of the Castra "Pope Clement XII, in the fifth year of his reign, dedi- Nova equitum singularium, the 'new fort' of the imperial cated this building to Christ the Savior, in honor of Saint cavalry bodyguard. The fort was established by Septimius John the Baptist and Evangelist";[5] this is because the Severus in AD 193. Following the victory of Constantine cathedrals of all patriarchs are dedicated to Christ him- I over Maxentius (for whom the Equites singulares augusti self. As the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, it ranks had fought) at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, the guard above all other churches in the Catholic Church, includ- were abolished and the fort demolished. Substantial re- ing St. Peter’s Basilica. For that reason, unlike all other mains of the fort lie directly beneath the nave. Roman Basilicas, it holds the title of Archbasilica. The rest of the site was occupied during the early Roman The archbasilica is located outside of the boundaries of Empire by the palace of the gens Laterani. Sextius Later- Vatican City proper, although within the city of Rome. anus was the first plebeian to attain the rank of consul, However, it enjoys extraterritorial status as one of the and the Laterani served as administrators for several properties of the Holy See. This is also the case with emperors. One of the Laterani, Consul-designate Plau- several other buildings, following the resolution of the tius Lateranus, became famous for being accused by Nero Roman Question with the signing of the Lateran Treaty. of conspiracy against the emperor. The accusation re- sulted in the confiscation and redistribution of his prop- erties. The Lateran Palace fell into the hands of the emperor when Constantine I married his second wife Fausta, sis- ter of Maxentius. Known by that time as the “Domus 1 Etymology Faustae” or “House of Fausta,” the Lateran Palace was eventually given to the Bishop of Rome by Constantine. The actual date of the gift is unknown but scholars be- The archbasilica’s name in Latin is Archibasilica Sanctis- lieve it had to have been during the pontificate of Pope simi Salvatoris et Sanctorum Iohannes Baptista et Evange- Miltiades, in time to host a synod of bishops in 313 that lista in Laterano, which translates in English as Archbasil- was convened to challenge the Donatist schism, declaring ica of the Most Holy Saviour and Saints John the Baptist Donatism as heresy. The palace basilica was converted and the Evangelist at the Lateran. In Italian, the basilica’s and extended, becoming the residence of Pope St. Sil- name translates as Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e vester I, eventually becoming the cathedral of Rome, the Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano.[4] seat of the popes as bishops of Rome.[6] 1 2 3 THE MIDDLE AGES 3 The Middle Ages church”, the words Sacrosancta Lateranensis ecclesia om- nium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput (meaning “Most Holy Lateran Church, of all the churches in the city and the world, the mother and head”) are incised in the front wall between the main entrance doors. The Lateran Palace and basilica have been rededicated twice. Pope Sergius III dedicated them to Saint John the Baptist in the 10th century in honor of the newly conse- crated baptistry of the Basilica. Pope Lucius II dedicated the Lateran Palace and basilica to Saint John the Evan- gelist in the 12th century. However, St. John Baptist and St. John the Evangelist are regarded as co-patrons of the Cathedral, the chief patron being Christ the Saviour him- self, as the inscription in the entrance of the Basilica in- dicates, and as is tradition in the patriarchal cathedrals. Thus, the Basilica remains dedicated to the Saviour, and its titular feast is the Transfiguration. That is why some- times the Basilica will be referred to by the full title The Papal cathedra, which makes this basilica the cathedral of of Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Sts. Rome, is located in the apse. The decorations are in cosmatesque John Baptist and John Evangelist in the Lateran. The style. church became the most important shrine in honor of the two saints, not often jointly venerated. In later years, a Benedictine monastery was established at the Lateran Palace, devoted to serving the basilica as a devotional to the two saints. Every pope from Miltiades occupied the Lateran Palace until the reign of the French Pope Clement V, who in 1309 decided to transfer the official seat of the Catholic Church to Avignon, a papal fief that was an enclave within France. The Lateran Palace has also been the site of five Ecumenical councils. See Lateran councils. 3.1 Lateran fires During the Avignon papacy, the Lateran Palace and the basilica began to decline. Two destructive fires ravaged the Lateran Palace and the basilica, in 1307 and 1361. In both cases, the Avignon papacy sent money to their bishops in Rome to cover the costs of reconstruction and maintenance. Despite those actions the Lateran Palace and the basilica lost their former splendor. When the Avignon papacy formally ended and the Pope again resided in Rome, the Lateran Palace and the basil- 14th-century Gothic baldacchino ica were deemed inadequate considering the accumulated damage. The popes took up residency at the Basilica The official dedication of the Basilica and the adjacent di Santa Maria in Trastevere and later at the Basilica di Lateran Palace was presided over by Pope Sylvester I in Santa Maria Maggiore. Eventually, the Palace of the Vat- 324, declaring both to be Domus Dei or “House of God.” ican was built (adjacent to the Basilica of St. Peter, that In its interior, the Papal Throne was placed, making it already existed at the Vatican since the time of Constan- the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. In reflection of tine), and the papacy moved in; the papacy remains there the basilica’s claim to primacy in the world as “mother today. 3 4 Reconstruction 5 Architectural history There were several attempts at reconstruction of the basil- An apse lined with mosaics and open to the air still pre- ica before Pope Sixtus V’s definitive project. Sixtus hired serves the memory of one of the most famous halls of the his favorite architect Domenico Fontana to oversee much ancient palace, the "Triclinium" of Pope Leo III, which of the project. The original Lateran Palace was torn down was the state banqueting hall. The existing structure is not and replaced with a new building. On the square in front ancient, but some portions of the original mosaics may of the Lateran Palace is the largest standing obelisk in the have been preserved in the three-part mosaic of its niche. world, known as the Lateran Obelisk (weight estimated In the centre Christ gives their mission to the Apostles, on at 455 tons). It was commissioned by pharaoh Thutmose the left he gives the keys to St. Sylvester and the Labarum III and erected by Thutmose IV before the great Karnak to Constantine, while on the right St. Peter gives the papal temple of Thebes, Egypt. stole to Leo III and the standard to Charlemagne. Intended by Constantine I to be shipped to Constantinople, the very preoccupied Constantius II had it shipped instead to Rome, where it was re- erected in the Circus Maximus in 357. At some time it broke and was buried under the Circus. In the 16th century it was located and dug up, and Sixtus V had it re-erected on a new pedestal on August 3, 1588 on its present site.[7][8][9] Further renovation on the interior of the basilica ensued under the direction of Francesco Borromini, commis- sioned by Pope Innocent X. The twelve niches created by his architecture came to be filled by 1718 with statues of the apostles, using the most prominent Roman Rococo sculptors. The vision of Pope Clement XII for reconstruction was an ambitious one: he launched a competition to design a new façade. More than 23 architects competed, mostly working in the current Baroque idiom. The putatively im- partial jury was chaired by Sebastiano Conca, president of the Roman Academy of Saint Luke.